The Kings and the Pauper
by konarciq
Summary: Felicity's being courted by a mere sailor sets the tongues in Avonlea wagging. And although done with the best intentions, Abigail's checking up on Gus's background only adds fuel to the fire. Missing ep. between "Heirs & Graces" and "Hearts & Flowers".
1. Chapter 1

**The Kings and the Pauper**

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A missing episode between _Heirs and Graces _and _Hearts and Flowers_

in response to a challenge on the forum of the Avonleaguide.

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"Well, Janet King, how does it feel to be a prospective mother-of-the-bride?"

Mrs. Potts´s penetrating voice caught the attention of everyone in the store, including Janet King´s herself. And she smiled, partly forced because of Mrs. Potts´s insinuating tone, and partly with genuine happiness over her daughter´s courtship.

"Well, I wouldn´t go that far yet, Clara. They´re only courting. They´re still so young."

A cackling laugh. "Oh, I wouldn´t be so sure of that, Janet King. People of the like of _Gus Pike_ – she drawled the name – always marry young."

"And have heaps of children before you know it," Mrs. Biggins added.

Mrs. Potts´s cackling laugh again. And Mrs. Bugle stated: "Face it, Janet, people of that social standing generally aren´t too particular when it comes to proper etiquette. I wouldn´t be surprised if you were to hold your first grandchild in your arms before the year is over!"

Janet´s face flushed as in a rare speechless moment some worrying images rushed to her mind´s eye: her Felicity, barely seventeen by the end of the year, with a heavy baby-belly; in labour; with a child in her arms; and four, five more at her skirts...

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned away. "Don´t be ridiculous, Eulalie," she said with as much calm as she could muster. "Gus may not have had a fancy upbringing and all that, but he´s a real gentleman at heart. He worships Felicity; he would never do anything to harm her."

Clara Potts tilted her head and looked archly. "Whatever you say, Janet-dear. Just don´t come crying on _my_ shoulder when that Gus Pike has run off to sea again, leaving your Felicity in misery with all those children..." She turned to Mrs. Biggins. "Before _I_ would allow my daughter to be courted by a _sailor_! I'm glad my Sally has higher standards than that."

Mrs. Biggins nodded. "I'd never have expected such low standards with the King family either. Shocking, that´s what it is!"

Janet rounded on them in a flash. "And _I_ am glad that Gus has higher standards than to contemplate courting _your_ daughter, Clara Potts! Gus is a fine, hard-working young man, and Alec and I are certain he will get far in life. So mind your own business, if you please."

Mrs. Potts sniggered. "Get far in life. Sure, that´s why he´s so eager to marry into the high and mighty King family."

Behind her, Rachel Lynde looked up from the catalogue she´d been browsing through. "Mark my words, Janet King: that Gus Pike is nothing but an upstart. A social climber, that´s what!"

Janet opened her mouth to retaliate. And realized there was nothing she could say in return. At least nothing that carried any chance of changing the town´s gossips´ mind.

And so, with the ladies´ victorious laugh ringing in her ears, she stomped out of the store.

"Now, now, ladies," Mrs. Lawson´s gentle voice piped up with just a hint of reproach. "Don´t you think you´re being rather harsh on young Gus Pike? He´s not such a bad lad, you know. He always pays promptly for what he buys at the store, and that is more than I can say for many people in this town."

Mrs. Bugle huffed. "Yes, but that´s only because _you_ refuse him even a penny worth of credit, Elvira."

The ladies burst out in giggles, and Mrs. Lawson blushed. "Well, that... that´s only because we... we want to help him. You know... with no parents to teach him how to handle money, we er... Edward and I decided to teach him that you can´t spend what you haven´t got..." Her voice trailed away, and Mrs. Potts quickly cut in: "By letting him go starving whenever he´s out of work and the fish won´t bite." Another cackling laugh. "My my, what a life for the crown-princess of the Kings!"

* * *

Outside on the porch, Janet King clenched her fists in the pockets of her overcoat. She had only gone into the store to escape the cold while waiting for the stagecoach to arrive. But now she was so riled up by the ladies´ remarks that she didn´t even feel the cold anymore.

She shook herself angrily. It was nonsense getting all worked up about what other people thought, she told herself. She and Alec were absolutely positive that Gus´s intentions towards their eldest daughter were nothing but honourable. Gus was a fine young man; he was anxious to do right by Felicity, and getting her in the family way before she even finished school was totally unlike him. And they had known him pretty well for several years by now; somehow he had been part of the family long before he officially started courting Felicity a few weeks ago. Why, even the prim and proper Hetty idolized the boy: if that didn´t say enough...!

She forced herself to calm down and take a few deep breaths of the icy winter-air. So beautiful the town was, with hoar-frost lining every outline. Avonlea was beautiful in any season, but wintertime could turn it into a magic winter-wonderland, straight out of a fairy-tale.

Just as she stood taking in all the beauty around her, a soft slither and the rhythmic trot of a four-in-hand caught her attention. And there, beyond the bridge across the small Avon-brook, came the stagecoach.

"Hello Janet!" Malcolm´s voice boomed at her from the box as soon as the coach emerged from the bridge.

Janet waved back, and smiled. Her brother-in-law was still a bit of an oddity, occasionally doing and saying things that no one in Avonlea even dared to think about. In the few years of their marriage her sister Abigail had managed to polish off his most embarrassing traits, but Janet liked him a lot just because of his unconventional behaviour. Still, Abigail would be sighing and blushing inside the coach with her husband´s noisy greeting for sure.

The coach pulled up in front of the general store, and with two swift jumps Malcolm MacEwan stood in front of her. "Hello Janet," he repeated with a glint in his eye as he kissed her on both cheeks. "How are things at the King farm?"

"Very well, thank you. I hope the trip went well?"

"Oh, excellent. This crispy air, it reminds me of the Yukon." He inhaled deeply and loudly. "Will you believe that sometimes I long for the icy climate there?"

Janet smiled. "Well, you´ve certainly lived there long enough to get used to it. But Malcolm, how about helping Abigail and Lucky out before the coach drives on?"

"Oh! Yes. Of course." He turned to open the door and lifted Lucky from his wife´s arms.

And Janet stifled a chuckle. The ladies at the store could gossip all they wanted, but next to her brother-in-law, Gus was the very picture of a gentleman. Never in his life would he forget to help Felicity off the coach. Why, she seriously suspected him of living his life just for Felicity!

No, they could indeed praise themselves fortunate with such a worthy suitor for their daughter. And she, Janet King, was determined to be happy about it!


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello Janet." A careful peck on the cheek, and there was Abigail.

"Hello Abigail. So good to see you again. How was Halifax?"

"Good, thank you. Oh Malcolm, don´t toss Robert around like that; he´s still a bit sick from the ride. He has such a delicate stomach," she added to Janet.

To her, Lucky – or Robert – looked the picture of health, but Janet wisely decided not to squabble over such minor things. Instead she said: "Here, let me give you a hand with your bags."

But Malcolm waved her away: "Ah, don´t worry, Janet: I can take care of those." He took a bag from her. "Why don´t you go with Abigail to pick up the groceries?"

"Yes, I could use an extra pair of hands," Abigail agreed. "Robert, come along with Mummy now. And be a good boy in the store, remember?"

"Oh, Lucky can stay out here with me, Abby," Malcolm objected in his usual good-natured manner. "He´s been sitting still for so long; I'm sure he´s got some ants in his pants that are aching to come out."

Abigail looked doubtful, but Lucky was indeed running around in the snow as if his life depended on it. And she sighed. "Allright then, just for a moment. Now Robert, you stay on the porch, allright? And no rolling in the snow or you´ll catch a cold. And keep your hat and your gloves on, and _don´t_ run away. And Malcolm, _please_ make sure he doesn´t run out in the street! You never know what might happen, with all the busy traffic here nowadays. Oh, and Robert, stay away from the horses, do you hear me? And..."

"Oh, come on, Abigail, he´ll be allright." Exasperated by her sister´s firing off instructions, Janet pulled her into the store. "Malcolm is with him; he´ll make sure Lucky won´t get into trouble."

"But..." Abigail already turned to head out again for some more instructions, but Janet simply pulled her over to the counter where a smiling Elvira was waiting for them.

"Hello Abigail. So good to see you again. You´ve come to pick up your order? Let me get it for you; just a moment, I´ve put it in the back."

Elvira moved away, and at the same time Mrs. Potts and her satellites moved in on the unsuspecting Abigail.

"Abigail! How nice to see you again! And I bet Janet´s already told you all about her great news, hasn´t she!"

Janet sighed audibly, and rolled her eyes.

"What great news?" Abigail inquired distractedly as she tried to peer through the shop window to see what Robert was doing.

Clara Potts looked utterly smug. "About Felicity officially being courted."

Abigail´s head snapped back to look at Mrs. Potts. And in an equally fierce movement she raised her eyebrows at Janet, in surprise and alarm. "Felicity courting?! Isn´t she a bit young for that, Janet?"

Janet smiled through clenched teeth and shrugged. "She´s sixteen, Abigail. Really, that´s not too young to start courting, is it?"

"Well, no, maybe not..." Abigail sounded doubtful. "And who is her beau? A respectable fellow, I hope?"

"It´s the lighthouse-keeper," Clara Potts cut in before Janet could open her mouth.

And Abigail let out a cry of shock. "Janet! Surely you cannot let your daughter being courted by that Ezekiel Crane! Why, everyone knows the man is stark raving mad!"

Janet sighed with exasperation and gave Mrs. Potts a glare. "No, not Ezekiel Crane; Gus Pike! He takes care of the lighthouse, yes, but he´s got a steady job at the White Sands."

"As a waiter," Clara Potts informed Abigail. "Or else he works at the cannery. Poor as a church mouse he is! But he´s actually a sailor."

The effect was everything she´d hoped for: Abigail gasped for breath. "Janet!? A _sailor_?!?"

"Oh, it´s not that bad." Janet felt the angry colour rising to her cheeks again. "Gus is a fine young man." And as she saw Elvira returning with two boxes full of groceries, she quickly added: "Come on, I´ll tell you all about it on the way home." She grabbed one of the boxes and headed out of the door, with a distressed Abigail in her wake.

"Janet! What´s this all about? You must tell me everything, you hear me? You can´t let your Felicity be courted by a penniless sailor! Janet...!"

"Hey, what´s this? Has Felicity gone courting, Janet?" Malcolm expertly interrupted his wife´s rantings by taking the box of groceries out of her arms.

Janet placed her box in the buggy with a thump. "Yes. And he´s _not_ a penniless sailor: he´s a respectable young man who works at the hotel."

Malcolm gave her an encouraging smile. "That sounds good."

"But Mrs. Potts said...!" Abigail started to protest.

"Clara Potts is a firebrand," Janet refuted with tight lips. "Now don´t you mind what _she_ says. Gus has practically been part of the family for years. But I doubt very much whether someone like Clara Potts has ever even exchanged a word with him."

"But...!"

"Now why don´t you ladies get up in the buggy," Malcolm interrupted a second time, "and then Janet can tell us all about this Gus on the way home. How does that sound? Lucky, come here, boy! Time to go home."

He handed the ladies into the buggy, lifted Lucky onto his wife´s lap and jumped in himself. Without asking he took the reins and set the horse off in a slow trot. "Now, Janet, tell us all about this suitor of Felicity´s. Do we know him?"

Janet smiled, boldened by Malcolm´s genuine interest. "I'm not sure if _you_ do, but I believe Abigail might remember him. He was with us that evening last year, after we went to that auction, remember? When Lucky ran away and got lost in a snowstorm."

Abigail frowned as she searched her memory, but then she slowly shook her head. "I do remember that awful day, but I don´t think I remember _him_."

"Tell us about him," Malcolm prompted.

"Well..." Janet pulled her plaid a bit tighter. "Where should I start?"

Malcolm shrugged. "What´s his name, where´s he from, what does he do for a living... Oh, that´s right, he works at the hotel."

Janet straightened herself. "Yes. Well, his name is Gus Pike, he´s nineteen years old, and I believe he´s originally from Nova Scotia."

Abigail gave her an incredulous look. "You _believe_ he´s from Nova Scotia?"

"Well, you see, from what he´s mentioned he hasn´t exactly had a happy childhood. So I don´t really feel like prying too much into those memories. But he´s told us that his mother died when he was only six years old. And since his father was mostly away at sea, he was put in an orphanage in Naggetta Sound in Nova Scotia. So I suppose he´s from around there."

"So his father´s a sailor, too?" Abigail couldn´t help sounding terribly doubtful.

"Yes, he is." Actually, Gus _had_ mentioned that his father was a criminal, and that the man had been in jail when his mother died. But Gus himself was so adamant about staying on the straight and narrow, and his character was so open and honest, that she didn´t think it fair to spill the aggravating facts of his background to others unnecessarily. So she continued lightly: "Gus hardly ever sees the man. But he, too, went to sea when he was twelve. But a few years ago he stranded here, and he´s been sticking around ever since. He´s been working at the farms around here, and in the cannery. And for the past year he´s been working at the hotel. And beside all that he´s going to school. He couldn´t even write his name when he came here, but you should hear Hetty sing his praises! He´s bright, and studious, and so ambitious! Anyone who knows him is convinced he´ll get far in life. He´s a real hard worker, and although a bit unpolished on the outside, he has the heart of a real gentleman. And he practically _worships_ Felicity."

"Sounds like a good lad," Malcolm remarked.

But Abigail still had her doubts. "And what´s this about him being as poor as a church mouse?"

"Oh, that was before he got his job at the hotel." Janet shrugged. "He´s not exactly rich, no, but he manages to make a living for himself. Not enough to provide for Felicity yet, but we´re pretty certain that will be remedied by the time Felicity will have reached the marriageable age. At least he doesn´t have any debts."

"Well, at least _that´s_ a relief." Abigail couldn´t help but sound rather sarcastic. "But are you sure this is what you´d want for Felicity, Janet? Someone of _his_ descent? Surely she can do better than that; she´s such a pretty girl."

Janet stuck out her chin. "That´s exactly why we´re so happy with Gus. He has made her realize there are more important things in life than money and appearance. You know all too well how lofty and superior she could be – lording over others she deemed inferior to her own perfection. Well, I'm glad to say that she´s changing. Growing softer somehow this past year; less harsh in her judgement of others. And I'm pretty sure that´s due to Gus´s influence on her. He´s really very down-to-earth."

Malcolm nodded appreciatively. "Sounds like a real good lad to me, Janet. I'm looking forward to meet him."

"Yes, why don´t you all come over for a Ward family dinner one of these days? I have a surprise to show you anyway. If we schedule it for an evening when Gus is off work, I'm sure he´d be delighted to meet you, too!"

"Well..." came it hesitantly from Abigail.

But Malcolm overrode her possible doubts: "Of course we'll be happy to come, Janet. You just send over young Felix with a message once you know the date. And we'll be there, won´t we, Abby? It´s been ages since we last had a good family dinner."

Abigail sighed. "Allright then," she said as her husband pulled the buggy to a halt in front of the MacEwan home. "But I would advise you, Janet, to officially check up on that boy´s background. You never _can_ trust people of that breed; for all you know he might have fabricated that pitiful story about his childhood to lure everyone into feeling sorry for him. Believe me, I´ve seen it before. But he might as well be the son of some criminal!"

Janet flinched, and quickly started climbing off the buggy to hide her blush. "Don´t be ridiculous, Abigail," she scoffed as soon as she´d reached the ground. "We´ve known Gus Pike for years; he´s as true as steel. And even if he _would_ be the son of a criminal, that would only make his steady and reliable character more admirable. You needn´t worry about Gus – he´s as good as gold!"

Abigail mockingly raised her eyebrows. "Whatever you say, Janet. I'm sure _you_ know him best."

And with that, she climbed off the buggy and took Lucky into the house.


End file.
